Last night on WWE Raw, it was confirmed that CM Punk will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against a former WWE Champion.
CM Punk will put the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line next Monday, as he faces Finn Balor for the first time ever in singles competition. The match will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, continuing WWE’s European tour. Punk confirmed he would be a fighting champion during Raw in Düsseldorf, only for Balor to interrupt and challenge him on the spot.
The confrontation followed a backstage segment earlier in the night in which Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez criticised Balor for failing to seize opportunities.
Balor has not held a top WWE singles title since his one-day reign as the inaugural WWE Universal Champion in August 2016, when he was forced to relinquish the belt due to injury. In the years since, he has captured the Intercontinental Championship twice, the United States Championship, the NXT Championship, and multiple Tag Team titles across Raw and SmackDown.
His most recent shot at the World Heavyweight Championship came in December 2024 during a Triple Threat match against then-champion Gunther and Damian Priest on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Punk vs Balor is now set to headline next week’s Raw from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
How Long Has CM Punk Been World Heavyweight Champion?
CM Punk has held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in his second reign since November 1, 2025, when he captured the vacant title in a match against Jey Uso at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The title was vacated by Seth Rollins after Rollins picked up a shoulder injury in a match at Crown Jewel against Cody Rhodes.
Punk’s first reign with the title occurred on August 2, 2025, at night one of SummerSlam after he defeated Gunther in the main event. However, Rollins then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
